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Sarjassa Pitkän Jussin Majatalo 26 sLÄHIKUVA s1/2016 2AMI-ËHKË &- Rami Mähkä +ULTTUURIHISTORIA 4URUNYLIOPISTO BASIL FAWLTY JA "ESITHATCHERILAISUUS" SARJASSA PITKÄN JUSSIN MAJATALO Klassikkoaseman saavutanut tilannekomedia Pitkän Jussin majatalo raken- tuu pitkälti töykeän ja katastrofaltiin hotellinjohtajahahmo Basil Fawltyn toilauksille. Mielipiteiltään konservatiivinen ja patriootinen Fawlty on sarjan naurun ensisijainen kohde. Sellaisena hän artikuloi käsityksiä Britannian yh- teiskunnallisesta tilanteesta 1970-luvun jälkipuoliskolla. Sarjan avainteemojen kontekstualisointi – sarjan komediallisuus huomioon otaen – autaa ymmärtä- mään yhteiskunnallista ja kultuurista kehitystä, jonka seurauksena Margaret Thatcher nousi Britannian pääministeriksi vuonna 1979. Artikkelini tarkastelee Pitkän Jussin majataloa (Fawlty Towers, BBC, 1975, 1979) tilannekomediana, jonka keskipisteenä on hotellinomistaja ja -johtaja Basil Fawltyn (John Cleese) keskiluokkainen, konservatiivinen hahmo. Sarjan muut keskushahmot ovat Sybil Fawlty (Prunella Scales), Polly (Connie Booth) ja Ma- nuel (Andrew Sachs). Sybil on Basilin vaimo, joka on miestään sosiaalisempi ja avomielisempi. Hän myös osallistuu hotellin pyörittämiseen ollen siinä itse asiassa miestään pätevämpi. Sisäkkö Polly taas on taideopiskelija, joka toimii järjen äänenä ja Basilin virheiden paikkaajana. Neljäs keskushenkilö Manuel on huonosti englantia taitava ja asioita hahmottava espanjalaistarjoilija (ks. myös Wilmut 1980, 243–247). Jo tässä vaiheessa on syytä painottaa, että sitcomin hahmot tai niiden yhdistelmä perustuvat komediallisille funktioille ja stereotyypittelylle, joka edesauttaa juonien rakentamista ja komedian ymmärrettävyyttä. Tosin, ku- ten Brett Mills toteaa, hahmojen stereotyyppiset piirteet toimivat molempiin suuntiin: Yhtäältä kyse on fiktiivisyydestä ja välittömästä tunnistettavuudesta eli siitä, millaisena stereotyypit esitetään mediassa. Toisaalta taas kyse on sosiaalisuudesta tai kulttuurisuudesta eli siitä, miten esitetyt stereotypiat vaikuttavat ihmisten ja ihmisryhmien ymmärtämiseen medioiden ulkopuo- lella (Mills 2005, 104). Brittiläis-amerikkalaisen komediaryhmän Monty Pythonin jättänyt John Cleese (s. 1939, Iso-Britannia) loi Pitkän Jussin majatalon amerikkalaisen vai- monsa Connie Boothin (s. 1944) kanssa. Sarjaa valmistettiin kaksi tuotanto- ARTIKKELIT s Rami Mähkä: Basil Fawlty ja "esithatcherilaisuus" sarjassa Pitkän Jussin majatalo, 26–47. 27 sLÄHIKUVA s1/2016 1 Wilmut kirjoittaa brittikome- diaa käsittelevässä klassikko- historiikissaan vuonna 1980, että Pitkän Jussin majatalon ensimmäinen tuotantokausi on vaikuttanut brittitelevision his- toriaan enemmän kuin mikään muu yksittäinen sarja (Wilmut 1980, 247; ks. myös Topping 2007, 165–166). 2 Cleese oli Monty Python -vuosinaan kuvaamassa Monty Pythonin Lentävää sirkusta (Monty Python’s Flying Circus, BBC, 1969–1974) lounaiseng- lantilaisessa Torquayn pikku- kaupungissa. Sattumanvarai- sesti valitun hotellin omistaja Donald Sinclair (1909–1981) kohteli asiakkaitaan epäkoh- teliaasti ja alentuvasti sekä Pitkän Jussin majatalon keskushahmoina nähdään hotellinomistaja Basil Fawlty puuttui näiden asioihin niin tungettelevasti, että muut (John Cleese) ja tämän vaimo Sybil (Prunella Scales). Kuva: kuvakaappaus DVD:ltä. Monty Python -ryhmän jäsenet vaihtoivat hotellia. Tapauk- sesta kiinnostuneet Cleese ja Booth päättivät jäädä. Kun Cleese joitain vuosia myö- kautta, ja tuotantokaudet esitettiin BBC:llä vuosina 1975 ja 1979. Sarjan toisen hemmin mietti uutta projektia, hän muisti hotellinomistajan tuotantokauden suuren suosion ansiosta BBC tarjosi Cleeselle jatkoa, mutta ja päätti ottaa tämän tilanne- tämä katsoi, ettei saisi konseptista enää irti uutta materiaalia (2009 Interviews, komediansa lähtökohdaksi. 2010).1 Pitkän Jussin majatalosta tekee historiallisesti mielenkiintoisen se, että Torquayn asukkaat kertovat sarjan DVD-julkaisun lisämate- sarjan idea – pöyristyttävän tyly ja itsekeskeinen hotellinomistaja – perustuu riaalina olevassa dokumentis- tositapaukseen.2 Suurin osa Basil Fawltysta on kuitenkin Cleesen ja Boothin sa, että paikalliset tunnistivat luomaa. Fawltyn innoittajan oitis (Tor- quay Tourist Offce, 2010). Sarjan myöhemmästä klassikkoasemasta huolimatta Pitkän Jussin majatalo 3 Vertaa Raymond William- ei ollut välitön menestys. Sarja sai joitain hyviä kriitikkoarvioita – ja joitain sin ajatukseen orastavasta todella kriittisiä –, mutta sen katsojaluvut olivat alhaiset. BBC:n Light Enter- (emergent) kulttuurista tainment -osastolla laaditun muistion mukaan sarjaa pidettiin kliseisenä ja (Williams 1981). Sigfried Kracauerin From Caligari to todennäköisenä floppina. Cleesen päätöstä lähteä Monty Pythonista pidettiin Hitler (1947/1974) puolestaan BBC:llä yleisesti virheenä. Sarjan alkutaivalta ei auttanut, että pilotin studio- esittää, että saksalaisesta yleisönä oli 70-henkinen islantilainen vierailijaryhmä, joka ei nauranut ker- 1920-luvun elokuvasta on luettavissa kaaoksen pelko ja taakaan. Sovitut kuusi jaksoa kuitenkin tehtiin valmiiksi, vaikka katsojaluvut järjestyksen halu, jotka selit- pysyivät alhaisina. Vasta uusintakierrokset seuraavana vuonna johtivat sarjan tävät saksalaisten alistumista massasuosioon: ensin 7 miljoonaa, seuraavalla kerralla 12 miljoonaa katsojaa. natsismille. Suosion takia BBC tilasi toisen kuuden jakson kauden, joka esitettiin vuonna 1979. Toisen tuotantokauden katsojaluvut olivat uusintakierroksella jo 15 mil- joonaa. Robert Gore Langton väittääkin, että sarjasta muodostui muutamassa vuodessa ”kansallinen pakkomielle”. Tämä johtui Langtonin mukaan Basil Fawltyn hahmosta, jonka äreän ja alistetun ulkokuoren alta britit tunnistivat kulttuuristaan jotain, jolle ”nauraa vedet silmissä”. (Langton 1999, 62, 64.) Itse kuitenkin näen, että katsojat nauroivat myös Fawltyn kanssa. He näkivät Fawltyssa perinteisen brittiläisyyden puolustajan, vaikka olisivatkin pitäneet tätä vanhakantaisuuden ja pysähtyneisyyden esimerkkinä. Artikkelissa Basil Fawltya ja hänen arvomaailmaansa analysoidaan ja kontekstualisoidaan 1970-luvun Britannian yhteiskunnallisen tilanteen ja erityisesti thatcherismin näkökulmista. Artikkelissa tarkastelen, miten Basil Fawlty voidaan ymmärtää ”esithatcherilaiseksi” hahmoksi, jonka kautta voi- daan osaltaan selittää Thatcherin valtaannousua vuonna 1979.3 ARTIKKELIT s Rami Mähkä: Basil Fawlty ja "esithatcherilaisuus" sarjassa Pitkän Jussin majatalo, 26–47. 28 sLÄHIKUVA s1/2016 Basil – viittaan häneen jatkossa etunimellä erotuksena vaimostaan (Sybil) 4 Historioitsija Jeremy Black toteaa, että Thatcherin – representoi pitkälti samankaltaista arvokonservatiivisuutta kuin Thatcher. aikalaisvaikutuksen luonnetta Molemmat vastustavat esimerkiksi höllentynyttä sukupuolimoraalia ja on vaikea selittää jälkikäteen, sosialismia ja näkevät yhteiskunnassa samoja ongelmia, kuten Britannian koska hänen myöhempi maineensa vaikuttaa niin 1800-luvulla alkaneen taantuman eli deklinaation. Artikkeli rakentuu näiden suuresti ilmiön tarkasteluun. teemojen esiintymisen tai niiden poissaolon analyysille Pitkän Jussin majata- Hän nostaakin esiin mahdolli- lossa. Kuten jatkossa käy ilmi, Thatcher ja Basil eivät ajattele kaikista asioista simman ”neutraalin” esimerkin: brittipsykiatrit huomasivat, että samoin. Basil jopa edustaa Thatcherille Britannian ei-toivottua taantumiseen Thatcherin kaudella potilaat johtanutta konservatiivisuutta. Joka tapauksessa Basil ja Thatcher olivat aika- vastasivat poikkeuksellisen usein oikein erääseen potilaan laisia 1970-luvun Britanniassa. Thatcherin ja Pitkän Jussin majatalon välillä on tietoisuutta mitanneeseen myös mielenkiintoinen joskin sattumanvarainen yhteys, sillä ensimmäinen vakiokysymykseen: ”kuka tuotantokausi esitettiin samana vuonna, kuin Thatcher nousi oppositiossa on Britannian pääministeri?” (Black 2004, 140–141). olleen konservatiivipuolueen johtoon. Toinen tuotantokausi esitettiin 1979, jolloin Thatcherista tuli Britannian pääministeri.4 5 Viriili työväenluokkainen Mr Johnson (Nicky Henson) vitsai- lee, että Torquayn menovink- kien ohella maailman ohuim- mat kirjat ovat ”The Wit of Konservatiivisuus ja thatcherismi Margaret Thatcher” ja ”Great English Lovers”. Basil on ainoa Kaksi terminologista selvennystä on tarpeen artikkelin näkökulman ja kon- paikallaolija, joka ei naura letkautukselle (The Wedding tekstien ymmärtämiseksi. Konservatiivisuudella viittaan yleisesti suurten tai Party, 10/1975). nopeiden yhteiskunnallisten muutosten vastustukseen ja perinteisten arvojen ja periaatteiden kannattamiseen. Sen vastakohdaksi asettuu liberaalisuus, usein vasemmistolaisittain ymmärrettynä. Basil on arvoiltaan tällainen yleinen hah- mo, eikä hän edusta mitään tarkkaa konservatiivisuuden muotoa. Voi olettaa, että jo asemansa takia – hotellinomistaja ja työntekijöidensä esimies – hän on konservatiivien uskollinen äänestäjä. Thatcherismilla on niin ikään yleisluontoinen merkitys johtuen jo siitä, että artikkeli käsittelee kautta ennen aikaa, jota on yleensä nimitetty thatcheris- miksi. Esimerkiksi Ben Jackson ja Robert Saunders käyttävät thatcherismi- termiä vasta Thatcherin toisen pääministerikauden (1983–1987) kohdalla. Kuitenkin termi sinänsä nousee Thatcherin sisäpiiristä. Sisäpiiri käytti ni- mitystä jo vuodesta 1975 alkaen, jolloin Thatcher syrjäytti Edward Heathin konservatiivipuolueen johdossa (Jackson & Saunders 2012). Termi viittasi tässä vaiheessa – thatcherismiin yleisesti liitettyjä ”konservatiivisuutta” tai ”uusliberalismia” henkilökohtaisempaan – affiliaatioon. Heathin kannattajia kutsuttiin vastaavasti nimellä ”Heathmen”. Ideologisessa mielessä käytettynä
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